For our wedding (I think I’ve mentioned this before), our friends and family put together an awesome cookbook of their favorite recipes. Since my mom is not a cook, however, her contribution was a little…simple.

Spinach Dip

Submitted by Mom

Ingredients:

Money of some sort

Your local grocery store

1 round loaf Hawaiian bread

2 lbs deli spinach dip

A car

Directions:

Drive to the store. Purchase spinach dip and Hawaiian bread. Drive home. Carve hole in middle of Hawaiian bread. Place spinach dip in hole. Serve with pieces of bread from hole around it. Enjoy!

_______________

It was still a wonderful contribution, since it makes me laugh every time I think of it. Plus, it’s a classic “Mom” dish that she takes to most parties that she has to bring an appetizer. Who doesn’t like Spinach Dip? Even though I love to cook, and would likely make spinach dip from scratch if I were going to take it somewhere, I love this recipe from my Mom.

The other recipes she included is a little more useful. It also happens to be her other appetizer recipe. It’s a classic cheeseball, a popular party snack. Here’s how it goes.

Apparently recipes from Mom are about 30 words long. Nothing wrong with that. I make this one often, because it’s easy, and a family favorite. The hardest part is finding the little jars of cheese–I swear they move around the grocery store every time I go. They’re never in the same place twice!

This Thanksgiving, I dressed up Mom’s classic Cheeseball recipe–like a turkey!

Gobble Gobble!

This is one of those rare Pinterest projects that turns out better than the inspiration. I love this little guy! To adjust mom’s general recipe, I rolled the cheeseball in crushed Ritz crackers to help it hold together, chilled overnight as directed, and then added the other garnishes once I got it on the platter the next day. The back feathers are crackers, I stuck pecan halves in the cheeseball in a feather pattern, rather than using chopped pecans, and the face is a strip of red bell pepper. The beak is cut out of a slice of cheddar cheese, and the eyes were made from a thin slice of string cheese, with a couple of whole black peppercorns stuck into it. I stuck a few toothpicks into the cheeseball and through the pepper, eyes, and beak. The whole process took about 5 extra minutes, and was a great addition to my Thanksgiving appetizer spread!

Two random events have come together to bring you this delicious post.

Random Event #1: a couple of months ago, we finally broke down and bought a deep fryer.

We don’t fry things often. Or, well, maybe it would be better to say that we didn’tfry things often. Because now that we have a deep fryer, we fry things pretty frequently.

It used to be that if I wanted to fry something, I’d get out the dutch oven and a thermometer, heat up the oil, and fry things on the stove. The problem with that is that it’s messy, greasy, and most of the oil goes to waste, because I never had a good system for straining the oil to be reused. More often than not, it would sit in that pan, unfiltered, until we broke down and did the dishes, and then it would get tossed. Pretty wasteful.

Random Event #2: On Black Friday, my mom, my sister and I went shopping in Kenosha, Wisconsin. And as all sensible Chicagoans must do when they cross that northern border, I stopped and bought cheese curds.

Do you see where this is going?

T-Fal Ultimate EZ Clean Pro

Do you?

fresh cheese curds

Now you do.

beer battered cheese curds

So how’d I do it? Once you have the deep fryer and the cheese curds, this one’s actually pretty easy.

Beer-Battered Fresh Wisconsin Cheese Curds

Ingredients

2 quarts of canola oil, peanut oil, or vegetable oil for frying (I like to use canola oil)

1/4 cups milk

1 cup bisquick or other baking mix

3/4 cup beer

1 egg

1 pound fresh cheese curds broken into pieces

Instructions

Heat oil in a large fryer or sauce pan to 375 degrees. This part’s easy if you have an electric deep fryer. If you don’t, you can use a thermometer, or worst-case-scenario, you can check to see if the oil is ready by dipping the handle of a wooden spoon into the pan. If the oil forms bubbles around the handle, it’s ready.

Whisk together milk, baking mix, beer, and egg until well incorporated.

Place cheese curds in batter 6 – 8 at a time, stir to coat.

Using a slotted spoon to pull them out of batter, shaking off excess batter.

Deep fry curds until golden brown.

Drain on paper towels

Sprinkle with a light dusting of salt while they’re still hot and resting on the paper towels.

Enjoy the cheesy goodness!

soooo cheesy

See? Perfection. The cheese will be melty and gooey and perfectly stringy–like the texture of the best mozzarella sticks you can imagine. The breading, thanks to the baking mix and the beer in the batter, has a light, fluffy texture, even as it gets crispy around the edges. And even though the batter is bound to drip and drizzle a little bit in the oil, the deep fryer we bought has a built in filter as well as a frying pan and frying basket that are completely dishwasher safe, so cleanup is a breeze. If you’re making these without a fryer, though, you should expect a fair amount of crunchy bits left in the oil confounding your efforts to clean up. Just one more reason to buy a deep fryer, I suppose. Even without the deep fryer, they might just be worth the trouble. Thankfully, I don’t have to decide and we can just make them whenever we want.

* * *

P.S. “Fried stuff with cheese!” is from Friends. The One with the Truth About London. Phoebe imagines what could have happened if Joey and Monica had ended up together, and it turns out that what would have happened is that Joey would have weighed about 400 pounds thanks to Monica’s cooking.

No recipes, and I’d almost forgotten I’d written this one. But back in September, I got the chance to go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and am happy to report that the initial reviews got it right, everything was fantastic. The Pumpkin Juice was yummy, the Butterbeer (better frozen than not) was good, though too sweet for my personal tastes. We got cauldron cakes at Honeyduke’s, in addition to acid pops and sugar quills. For lunch, we ate at the Three Broomsticks and feasted on Roast Chicken, Turkey Legs, Fish and Chips, and more. Universal did a great job with the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, right down to the food and drinks.

8) For August, though there were lots of grilled recipes, and plenty of things to celebrate (like Kat and Jeff’s wedding shower), I’m going to have to go with the Two-Corn Polenta with Tomatoes & Basil, since it successfully brought polenta back into our lives. And our lives might be better for it. 😉 (http://makeawhisk.com/2010/08/two-corn-polenta-with-tomatoes-basil/)

9) To highlight the grill, which was really the focus of our summer cuisine, I want to mention these Flank Steak Skewers from Everyday with Rachael Ray. I know we made them twice, but we might have actually had them three times. They were that good. And because they’re skewers, would be perfect for a crowd, as they cook up quickly and can be prepped in advance. I’d almost go stand in the snow to make some more. Almost. (http://makeawhisk.com/2010/08/dry-rubbed-flank-steak-skewers-with-basil-butter/ )

10) This copycat recipe for PF Chang’s Mongolian Beef was definitely one of my favorite new recipes this year. Just the right amount of spicy, rich and meaty, crisp around the edges. And the kind of sauce that demands to be served over rice, just so you don’t miss a drop. http://makeawhisk.com/2010/12/copycat-mongolian-beef/

Ah, that Pioneer Woman. Everything over there is delicious. I don’t usually consider her food to be terribly original or inventive, just a really great solid version of whatever she’s trying to make. That’s what you get with these sloppy joes. If you’ve never made sloppy joes “from scratch” and have been relying on a mix or a can, you’re definitely in for a treat. The flavors are brighter, there’s just the right amount of spice, and browning the buns with butter is a great, simple touch that really makes a difference.

(If you have made sloppy joes from scratch, there’s probably not anything earth shattering about this recipe. My family used ketchup, mustard, and brown sugar to make their sauce, and this is certainly in that family. But the onion & bell pepper adds something to the mix, as does the fresh garlic.) This recipe is extremely flexible though, so you can leave out pretty much any of the ingredients that you don’t care for.

I frequently have a freezer full of too-ripe bananas, just waiting to be turned into Banana Bread. (This has never been more true than lately; I think we’ve got about 12 frozen bananas in there!) I have an old standby recipe for banana bread from David’s family, and I’ve made other types of banana bread before, but I was excited to try some of the Cooking Light varieties, especially after seeing their outstanding reviews. The first one to catch my eye was this Peanut Butter Banana Bread.

I’ll admit, I made some tweaks. For one, I didn’t have chopped peanuts, or creamy peanut butter, so I cut out the middle man and used chunky peanut butter. Worked great. I’m not a fan of super-sweet desserts, usually, and Banana Bread is more of a breakfast treat to me than it is a dessert anyway, so I skipped the extra sweetness from the peanut butter glaze, though I’m sure it would’ve been tasty. I liked the way it turned out. Moist, rich-but-not-too-rich, with just a hint of peanuty goodness. The peanut butter added flavor without overpowering the bananas. The most successful Cooking Light recipes are ones that don’t seem “light,” and this definitely falls into that category. I’ll probably make this one again–if I was making it to give to someone else or to bring to a party or something, I’d probably try the glaze, too.

Peanut Butter Banana BreadAdapted from Cooking Light, October 2010

For the Bread:

1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana

1/3 cup vanilla fat-free yogurt

1/3 cup crunchy peanut butter

3 tablespoons butter, melted

2 large eggs

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups)

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

Cooking spray

For the Glaze (optional):

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon 1% low-fat milk

1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. To prepare bread, combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed. Add granulated and brown sugars; beat until blended.

3. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through allspice) in a small bowl. Add flour mixture to banana mixture; beat just until blended. Pour batter into a standard 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 5 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Remove bread from pan; cool.

4. If you want to make the glaze: combine powdered sugar, milk, and 1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle glaze over bread when cooled.

Since my mom made a point of calling out this recipe in yesterday’s update, I thought I’d go ahead and get this one out of the way.

My husband David is not a big fan of Chinese food. When we met, he didn’t like it at all, but I slowly wore him down with my homemade recipes and nagging requests to go to P.F. Chang’s, and now he’s made his peace with at least some chinese food. First, he found he liked my pepper steak. He eats the cashew chicken and sweet & sour chicken that I make from scratch. An occasional stir-fry or two. Then he branched out into similar dishes from Chinese restaurants, like beef and broccoli. Once we went to P.F. Chang’s, though, he was absolutely sold on Mongolian Beef.

And why wouldn’t he be? P.F. Chang’s Mongolian Beef is a delicious, tender, yet crispy pieces of thin steak, tossed in a delicious spicy-sweet sauce. Using a couple of recipes I found online, I was able to replicate the flavors almost perfectly. Keep reading to see how.

Copycat Mongolian Beef

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon ginger, minced

1 tablespoon garlic, chopped

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup water

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

vegetable oil, for frying (about 1 cup)

1 lb flank steak

1/4 cup cornstarch

2 large green onions, sliced (you can skip these if you don’t like them)

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (also optional, or you can use less or more depending on how spicy you like your food)

1. Make the sauce by heating 2 tsp of vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Be careful not to let the oil get too hot. It should shimmer, but not smoke.

2. Add ginger and garlic to the pan and quickly add the soy sauce and water before the garlic scorches.

3. Dissolve the brown sugar in the sauce, then raise the heat to medium and boil the sauce for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Remove it from the heat.

4. Slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/4″ thick bite-size slices. If you tilt the blade of your knife at about a forty five degree angle to the top of the steak you’ll get wider cuts.

5. Dip the steak pieces into the cornstarch to apply a very thin dusting to both sides of each piece of beef. And let it sit for about 10 minutes so that the cornstarch sticks.

6. While the coated beef is resting, heat up one cup of oil in a wok. (I don’t have a wok, so I used a dutch oven. Any heavy pan that holds heat well will work, as long as you can cover the beef with oil.

7. Just as before, heat the oil over medium heat until it’s hot, but not smoking. Add the beef to the oil and sauté for just two minutes, or until the beef just begins to darken on the edges. (You don’t need to fully cook the beef here, since it’ll go to go back on the heat later.) Stir the meat around a little so that it cooks evenly.

8. After a couple minutes, use a large slotted spoon to take the meat out and onto paper towels, and drain the oil out of your wok or pan. Put the pan back over the heat, dump the meat back into it and cook for another minute.

9. Add the sauce from earlier, cook for 1-2 minutes while stirring, then add the green onions and red pepper flakes, if using. Continue to cook for one more minute, then remove the beef mixture with tongs or a slotted spoon to a serving plate. There will be extra sauce, but it’s delicious as a dipping sauce for egg rolls or dumplings, or just drizzled over the beef when served with rice. You’ll definitely want to serve this over rice to soak up as much of the rich sauce as possible.

Hey everyone, it’s been awhile. I apologize for that. Things have been busy, blah blah blah, excuses, excuses. The truth is, I haven’t had time to try very many new recipes, so I’ve been lacking in the inspiration department. I’ve also been trying to figure out how to take better pictures, which I think I’ve gotten a handle on. Finally, we got a dog, and she takes up a lot of my time (in a good way!).

Obligatory Picture of the New Pup

I’m going to go ahead and make an early New Year’s resolution to get back to blogging more in 2011. That means making a point of trying more new recipes, which I’m also excited to do. Our old standbys are good, but we’ve been relying on them a little too often lately. I’m ready to be a bit more adventurous.

I thought it might be nice to mention some of the foodie Christmas gifts I got, since they’ll likely feature heavily in my future recipes, one way or another. Here they are, in no particular order:

A new crockpot. I love my old 3-in-1 Hamilton Beech, and have no intention of getting rid of it, but the new one has a timer, which is definitely helpful sometimes. I’ll keep ’em both!

A GIANT cupcake-shaped baking pan, to make GIANT cupcake-shaped cakes. Just need an excuse to try this one out!

I’m very excited to get in the kitchen and play with all of my new toys. And to share the results with all of you. Hope your holiday was great, and have a Happy New Year!

P.S. I seem to have missed a blogiversary! Make A Whisk has been here for two whole years. Keep an eye out for a year-in-review post of all my favorite recipes from 2010. You can also look forward to recipes for Cider-Glazed Chicken, Pecan Rice Pilaf, S’More Dessert Bars, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, a very successful copycat recipe for PF Chang’s Mongolian Beef, and Cooking Light’s Peanut Butter Banana Bread. See you soon!

Thanks to the holiday weekend, we didn’t have too many dinners to pick for this week. Yay!

Tonight, based on a conversation last Tuesday, we’ll be having Sloppy Joes. I’m going to try my hand at The Pioneer Woman’sversion, which looks pretty close to the kind I grew up with, anyhow. Sounds simple, but I’m looking forward to it. Go figure. We’re also making bruschetta, with awesome tomatoes from my cousin Becky’s garden. So that should be good!

Tomorrow, we’re having steak fajitas. Instead of our normal recipe, we’re starting with a fajita marinated skirt steak from Costco. I’m going to make up a knock-off of Chipotle’s cilantro-lime rice to go with.

Thursday, I’m making stuffed peppers. We haven’t had them in awhile, and we’ve got bell peppers from my cousin’s garden, too, so I figured it was a good time to do it.

That’s as far as we’ve planned. I might make a trip down to my sister’s new apartment and there was talk of making lasagnas. If it happens, I’ll take pictures and report back.

This recipe is from Cooking Light magazine. I’m going to say that again, because you’d never expect it from the title, and it definitely bears repeating. This recipe is from Cooking Light magazine. It was very tasty, but somehow manages to be good for you (relative to other alfredo recipes, at least.

The sauce wasn’t quite as thick as I would’ve liked, so I may adjust the amount of flour next time. Using bacon drippings for a roux was a nice touch, as it added a smoky, salty flavor that wouldn’t have been included in the traditional butter. Normally, you don’t need a roux, of course, but it helps to compensate for the 1% milk in the place of the more traditionally heavy cream.

This wasn’t the best alfredo sauce I’ve ever had, but it was absolutely the tastiest “light” alfredo sauce I’ve ever tried. We’ll be making this again.

Photo from cookinglight.com

Fettuccine Alfredo with BaconAdapted from Cooking Light magazine, January 2010

Note: Even with all that cheese, the sauce wasn’t terribly thick. The original recipe suggested using some of the starchy pasta-cooking water to make the sauce, but I skipped it because I was afraid the results would be too watery. I think that was the right call. We had some leftover grilled chicken, so I threw that on top, but it would be fine without the chicken. whatever you prefer.

First, I got a grill. Then, Rachael Ray dedicated a whole issue of her magazine to grilling recipes. The magazine had a great feature listing tons of grilled skewer recipes, including this one.

The dry-rub gave the steak an awesome flavor. It was slightly sweet with a smoky, spicy flavor. David grilled the skewers expertly, and we finished the steak off with a pat of basil-spiked butter. These were awesome. My mouth is watering just thinking about them.

Thread 2 pieces of steak, ribbon-style, and 2 tomatoes onto each of eight 12-inch skewers. Cover and grill, turning once, until the steak is just cooked through, about 7 minutes. Top with the basil butter.

Note: When grilling with skewers, it’s a good idea to soak the skewers in water for 15-20 minutes before loading them up with food. Wet skewers are less likely to burn over the high heat of your grill.